3A: Phebe Guthrie
Guthrie Family Group 3 · Branch A · 3A-1-3
Phebe Guthrie & John Gadberry
Phebe: born about 1758; living in 1791
Maryland · Virginia
View in Guthrie Research Tree →
A Maryland enumeration, her father’s will, and her mother’s signed marriage consent preserve Phebe’s place in the Guthrie family. Robert named her as his daughter in 1788; Esther did the same in January 1791, when Phebe intended to marry John Gadberry.
The Rockbridge County marriage papers bring the couple into view, but their later story remains unfinished. No children or subsequent migration have yet been securely connected to them.
Family at a Glance
Phebe Guthrie
- Birth & baptism
- About 1758, calculated from age eighteen in the 1776 Maryland enumeration. Birthplace unknown; no baptism identified.
- Parents
- Robert Guthrie & Esther Giles. Her father’s will and mother’s marriage consent expressly identify her as their daughter. Esther’s surname is under investigation as Giles versus Skiles.
- Marriage
- John Gadberry, reportedly 3 February 1791, Rockbridge County, Virginia. The surviving papers establish consent on 17 January and a bond on 25 January; the ceremony date still needs its supporting return or register entry.
- Residence
- Elizabeth Hundred, Frederick County, Maryland, in 1776; associated with Rockbridge County, Virginia, in the 1791 marriage papers.
- Death & burial
- Unknown. Documented living in January 1791; no later record or burial securely identified.
John Gadberry
- Birth & parents
- Unknown. No birth, baptism, or parental couple established.
- Name & identity
- Gadberry is used here. Gadbery, Gaddberry, and other spelling variations should also be considered when searching original records.
- Marriage
- Named as Phebe’s intended husband in Esther’s consent and the January 1791 bond. The reported 3 February ceremony remains to be independently confirmed.
- Residence & occupation
- Associated with Rockbridge County in 1791. His occupation and subsequent residence are unknown.
- Death & burial
- Unknown. No death, estate, or cemetery record has been securely assigned to this John.
Children of Phebe & John
No children have yet been securely identified. This is a gap in the surviving research, not evidence that the couple was childless. A proposed child needs a documented connection to this particular John Gadberry and Phebe Guthrie.
Historical Highlights
Phebe’s known records connect the Maryland family with Rockbridge County, Virginia. Her parents’ documents provide direct relationship evidence, while the marriage papers supply the clearest surviving record of John Gadberry.
Consent, bond, and ceremony are separate events. Their dates should remain distinct in the family chronology.
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1776
Phebe in Maryland
The Elizabeth Hundred enumeration lists Phebe, rendered Pheeb in the archival index, at age eighteen in the published transcription. This supports a birth about 1758. It establishes residence in Maryland, not a Maryland birthplace.
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28 Feb 1788
Named in Her Father’s Will
Robert Guthrie bequeathed his daughter Phebe one-twelfth of his real and personal estate. The language establishes their relationship; it does not, by itself, document payment or distribution of her share.
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7 Apr 1789
Robert’s Will Proved
The will was proved in Rockbridge County. Estate accounts and receipts may help trace Phebe’s inheritance and identify her later married name or residence.
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17 Jan 1791
Esther Gives Her Consent
Esther Guthrie consented to John Gadberry marrying “my Daughter Phebe Guthrie,” expressly stating that Phebe was of lawful age. Richard Guthrie and Robert Guthrie appear as witnesses.
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25 Jan 1791
The Marriage Bond
John Gadberry and James Caruthers entered a £50 bond concerning the intended marriage to Phebe. The document concerns an anticipated marriage; it does not certify that the ceremony had already taken place.
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3 Feb 1791
Reported Marriage Date
The family study gives this date for the marriage in Rockbridge County. It does not appear on the three surviving images reviewed here. A minister’s return or marriage-register entry is needed to confirm it.
Read Esther’s Marriage Consent
The consent is dated 17 January 1791. Its central statement reads:
“I hereby certify that I give my consent for John Gadberry to marry my Daughter Phebe Guthrie She being of lawfull Age”
It is signed Esther Guthrie, witnessed by Richard Guthrie and Robert Guthrie, and addressed to Andrew Reid, clerk of Rockbridge County.
The witnesses’ relationships are not stated in this document. Esther’s maiden surname is also absent. Her consent should not be used to infer that Phebe was a minor: the text explicitly says otherwise.
The Bond and Its Cover
The bond is dated 25 January 1791 and names John Gadberry and James Caruthers. Its £50 amount is a bond obligation, not evidence of a dowry or a payment of that amount.
Caruthers’ participation provides an associate worth investigating, but it does not establish a family relationship. Andrew Reid appears in his clerical role.
The cover also bears 25 January 1791. Neither the cover, bond, nor consent supplies the reported 3 February ceremony date.
Explore the Research
DNA and Phebe’s Descendant Line
| Family / Child Line | Guthrie Y-DNA | Guthrie Big Y | Autosomal Participation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phebe Guthrie & John Gadberry | N/A | N/A | — |
N/A: Phebe could not transmit her father’s Guthrie Y chromosome. —: no verified descendant line or associated autosomal participation is documented here.
A male-line descendant of John Gadberry could contribute to research on the Gadberry paternal family. That result would not represent the Guthrie paternal line through Phebe. Autosomal evidence may be relevant if documented descendants are identified, but no such connection is established on this page.
A Rockbridge Land Lead: Buffalo, 1805
Oren F. Morton’s A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia (1920), in “Various Lists,” includes a Gadberry plantation on Buffalo in an entry dated 1805.
The entry gives no first name, spouse, or parentage. It is a locality lead only; it does not establish that John and Phebe owned the plantation or were living there in 1805.
Neighboring deeds, boundary descriptions, road orders, and court records around Buffalo Creek may identify the people behind the reference. Read the transcription under “Locations and Arrivals” →
Land Indexes and the Missing Later Trail
The earlier family study reported no matching Gadberry entry in its Rockbridge deed-index search. That result is limited to the indexes and search scope used; it does not establish that the couple left the county, owned no land, or had no children.
- Rockbridge grantee index: image group 007895960, image 104 of 602.
- Rockbridge grantor index: image group 007898605, image 102 of 586.
Search spelling variants and records in which a Gadberry appears as a neighbor, witness, tenant, or estate recipient. A matching surname alone is insufficient to connect another household to Phebe.
Reading & Sources
- Maryland enumeration, 1776: Elizabeth Hundred, Frederick County. The Maryland State Archives index lists “Gutry, Pheeb,” reference MSA S1419-6-6843, box 2, folder 7, page 8. The age eighteen appears in Gaius M. Brumbaugh, Maryland Records, volume 1 (1915), page 242.
- Robert Guthrie’s will: signed 28 February 1788; proved 7 April 1789. Rockbridge County, Virginia, Will Book 1, page 329. FamilySearch image group 007646171, image 500 of 603.
- Marriage papers, 1791: Rockbridge County, Virginia, Marriage Bonds and Licenses; FamilySearch image group 007738869, images 27–29 of 850. The surviving scans reproduced on Guthrie Genealogy are linked in Historical Highlights: cover, bond dated 25 January, and consent dated 17 January.
- Reported ceremony: 3 February 1791 is retained from the family study. A separate return or register supporting that date has not yet been identified here.
- Local-history lead: Oren F. Morton, A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia (1920), section XIII, “Various Lists,” subsection “Locations and Arrivals”; online transcription. The 1805 Gadberry entry is not an established identification of this couple.
- Family context: Phebe in the Guthrie Research Tree · Robert Guthrie & Esther Giles · Guthrie Family Group 3.
Questions Still Worth Pursuing
- Locate the marriage return or register entry supporting the reported 3 February 1791 ceremony.
- Follow Robert Guthrie’s estate accounts and receipts for Phebe’s share and any appearance by John Gadberry.
- Identify John through tax lists, deeds, court records, and associates, including James Caruthers and the 1805 Buffalo locality lead.
- Find a later household, estate, family Bible, or other record that identifies children and establishes where the couple went after 1791.
Help Build the Family Story
Esther’s signed consent gives Phebe a clear place in the family. The next discovery may lie in an estate receipt, a neighboring deed, or a family record preserved under a different spelling of Gadberry.
If you have a record naming this couple or their possible descendants, please share the image and its source so the connection can be investigated.
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Researched & Curated by Ann Guthrie